Fans horrified over YouTubers' 'abusive' punishment for toddler
A popular YouTube family is feeling the heat after their decision to punish their toddler with an ice-cold shower sparked a torrent of backlash from their fans.
Vloggers Jonathan and Anna Saccone-Joly reach almost 2 million subscribers on the popular video platform with their family account that shows the pair parenting their four young children.
A video published earlier in the month however, was hardly fun and games with the pair sharing their controversial solution to a very familiar issue with two-year-old daughter Alessia.
Mum Anna explained that the bub had been removing her nappy and smearing poo all over her cot at night, not an ideal scenario, I’m sure we can agree.
The mum went on to explain that she and husband Jonathon decided to try showering the toddler in an ice-cold shower as both a punishment and way of cleaning her up.
A post shared by Anna Saccone (@annasaccone) on
Horrified reactions
The confronting notion has sparked an instant backlash from the couple’s followers, and the wider parenting community, many of whom slammed the move as ‘cruel’, ‘harsh’, and even ‘abusive’.
Many argued that the two-year-old shouldn’t be called ‘naughty’ in the first place, let alone punished.
“I don't think she should be called naughty for doing something she doesn't understand,” one person wrote.
“It sounds like she doesn't like the feel of it in her diaper, so potty training might be in order,” another wrote. “She seems like a sensitive and sweet little girl that might need extra attention now.”
Others simply slammed the decision to use cold water to punish the bub.
“That's cruel to give a cold shower,” one fan wrote.
“Cold showers have been used as a torture method and has been known to be the worst way to discipline children,” another pointed out.
“It is classified as child abuse in some countries. How horrible for those poor kids,” another viewer agreed.
The video has been viewed over 200,000 times, and the family have yet to respond to concerns over the punishment, continuing to upload content as normal.
Meanwhile outrage continues to build with an online petition to report the pair over the incident being set up, and amassing over 400 signatures.
Past unfounded concerns
The pair have faced pressure for decisions in the past, and even had police come to their door last month after a viewer reported them for possible abuse over a scar on their newborn’s forehead.
They discussed the matter in a video in which they slammed the fan’s decision to go to police, and emphatically denied any wrongdoing.
“We are devastated and disappointed to see that the negativity and nasty comments from online trolls has allowed for this to escalate. Unfortunately we will not be the first or last people in the public eye to experience the unregulated targeting of trolls,” they said in a video.
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